Lucy Gordon - MarilynGrall - Tracy Grant
Gordon, Lucy - BEAUTY AND THE BOSS (Harl. Rom. 3548 - 4/99) (2+)
The title of this book and the name of the miniseries, "Marrying the Boss," are a bit misleading. The heroine, Delia Summers, is a beauty, but the hero is not her boss. Craig Locksley is merely a business associate; however, he is BOSSY...and rude and insulting. He also happens to be blind.
When Delia accidentally hits his guide dog with her car, Craig is grief-stricken and enraged. He lashes out at Delia and she bursts into tears. Not only is she sorry for injuring his dog, but for the first time in her life she is unable to use her gorgeous looks to charm a man and get her way. Both of these characters are in need of a huge reality check and that's what this book sets out to accomplish. We are soon introduced to the divorced hero's ten-year-old daughter, Allison, a little girl who is too mature, polite and well adjusted to be believable (think Stepford child). She eventually brings these two lonely, miserable adults together after all their tears and tirades...and one very important eye operation. The most likable character in BEAUTY AND THE BOSS is Jenny, the seeing-eye dog, but not even she can save this predictable, maudlin story. I would suggest reading Lucy Gordon's UNCAGED instead. ~June F. (bookbug@oocities.com)
Grall, Marilyn - CONQUEST OF THE HEART
(E-book; New Concepts - 7/99) (4+)
Sir Stephen Dubois, lately a Norman mercenary and bodyguard of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, is awarded both the Almswick Manor in Kent and the hand of the lady of the manor. Sir Stephen, weary of war and endless fighting, is looking forward to a peaceful life devoted to managing the estate and
raising a castle full of children.
However, the Lady Mary expects that her prior betrothal to the neighboring Lord Albert of Tidwell will be honored by the new King. She has no idea she's to be given to the enemy—who not only killed her father and two brothers at Hastings, but was also the indirect cause of her beloved mother's suicide! Sir Stephen arrives at the manor, sparks fly, and the real battle begins: nothing less than the conquest of Sir Stephen's and Lady Mary's hearts.
I found CONQUEST OF THE HEART to be all that I adore in medieval romance. The Norman/Saxon conflict melds with romantic fantasy and bold sensuality—explosive and explicit, with a strong alpha hero who is slowly tempered by the power of love. Marilyn Grall's fresh voice, clean lyrical prose, and well-drawn characters add special joy. CONQUEST OF THE HEART is a vivid and powerful rendering of medieval times, but be warned that it might not be for the faint of heart as it contains scenes of explicit sex and violence. ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Grall, Marilyn - TAMING THE LION (E-book; New Concepts) (3+)
Lionel is a warrior—he loves it, revels in it—it's all he lives for. The bastard son of an earl, he grew up without many of the things his half brother (the legitimate heir) took for granted. To earn his father's approval he became the best warrior he could be, wanting nothing more out of life than to spend his days fighting for his lord. But he's plagued by a knee injury, and the earl orders him to leave the battlefield to marry and tame a willful chit he's never met.
Alexandra's mother died in childbirth and she grew up surrounded by men. Instead of learning how to sew or cook, she spent her days on horseback learning how to wield a sword. "Alex" is independent, stubborn...and furious that she's being forced to marry a stranger, who will probably be old, repulsive and most definitely bothersome to her lifestyle. However, she realizes that her castle must be protected at any cost, so she begrudgingly does her duty and marries Lionel by proxy.
When they meet for the first time, tempers flare and sparks fly and Lionel's attempted "taming" of Alex begins. They definitely start out on the wrong foot and their first sexual encounter is anything but pleasurable. But while facing death and a jealously insane prostitute, as well as dealing with a murderous plot against the earl, they get to know each other and fall in love. Suddenly the tamer becomes the tamed.
TAMING THE LION is a gritty medieval with touches of humor and lots of sensuality. The relationship is a combative one, and Lionel's attempts to force Alex (who is young, headstrong and a bit immature) to behave by spanking her only make matters worse. But all of the heat they create out of the bedroom sure makes for some incredibly sensual love scenes! And as gruff and tough as Lionel is, he does have a softer, tender and protective side. There is a lot of treachery afoot in this story, but the love story always takes top priority and the couple are never apart for very long. They were a good match, and by the book's end I could see them happily exchanging wicked barbs and adventures well into old age. ~Laurie S. (shallah@empire.net)
Grant, Tracy - RIGHTFULLY HIS (Dell - 1998) (3+)
In this fourth in a series of interrelated Regency-era historicals (one of which Ms. Grant coauthored with her late mother under the pen name of Anna Grant), the author once again shows herself to be a skillful and interesting writer, especially adept at characterization and at creating realistic conflict between the hero and heroine. However, I did feel that Grant's running villain is beginning to wear a bit thin, which made the book less compelling for me than the earlier ones. Still, it was eminently readable, and anyone who has read the related books will be especially interested in this latest installment. ~Elena P.
Grant, Tracy - SHORES OF DESIRE (Dell - 1997) (4)
With this book and its sequel, SHADOWS OF THE HEART, Grant has become my latest "discovery" among writers of well-written, absorbing, fast-paced historical romance. Two things I really liked about both books were: the realism and maturity of the hero and heroine, and the fact that neither the conflicts nor the action-adventure-mystery ever struck me as silly or overly melodramatic (as such elements all too often do). In addition, Regency-set fiction with a Napoleonic backdrop is usually sympathetic to the British side, so it's interesting to have some French heroes once in awhile—especially since America tended to be more sympathetic to the French cause during that time! ~Elena P.
Grant, Tracy - SHORES OF DESIRE (Dell - 1997) (2+)
Fresh perspective of the French side of the Napoleonic Wars and Waterloo from the hero, who's a Frenchman, trying to find his wife's killer. He falls in love with a woman who looks remarkably like his wife during his investigation of the heroine's family. The hero and heroine are well written. Lots of suspects and intrigue. A bit too much detective work for me, but I really enjoyed Paris after Waterloo, during the occupation. ~Kathy G. (kathy@cs.utexas.edu)
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